Apparatus for removal of oil tank sludge and sediment



T. A. SMITH Oct. 7, 1952 APPARATUS FOR REMOVAL OF OIL TANK SLUDGE AND SEDIMENT 2 SHEETS--SHEET l Filed March' l2. 1947 l t [gpm Oct. 7, 1952 T, A, SMlTH 2,612,998

APPARATUS FOR REMOVAL OF OIL TANK SLUDGE AND SEDIMENT Filed MaICh l2. 1947 2 SHEETS--SHEET 2 JU -5 lf2-g5 vll/11,114

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GROUND Patented Oct. 7, 1952 APPARATUS Eon` REMOVAL oFoIL TANK sLUDGE AND SEDIMENT Talbot A. smith, enamore, Ma.

Application March 12, 1947, Serial No. 734,112

(cl. 21o-209) 3 Claims. 1 This invention relatesto flexible conduits with springy stiening means; also tok a flexible con- "duit with a removable and replaceable transparent section; also to a flexible conduit with inlet-end havin'ga deilecting contact-point; and,

`more especially, it relates to a spring-stiened flexible suctorial conduit-combination.

The primary object or purpose of this invention is to provide an inherently flexible conduit with spring-stilening means to keep its intake or inlet-endpressed against the bottom of the tank containingoil `or other liquid that deposits sludge orsediment, so the latterecan `be `sucked `out of the tank while leaving the upper parts of the pure or `relatively pure oil in the `tank for continual, uninterrupted draught and `use for intended purposes.

Another object is Ito provide, in combination -with said llexible conduit, a thin-wide springy strip secured on and along said flexible conduit and comprisingmeans to resist flexing of said conduit laterally of said springy strip and to permit said `conduit to be easily and considerably `curved in a plane at right angles to the width duit-section 'with va manipulating lever to co- 4operate` with the spring-stiffening means for pressing the inlet-end down, sliding itto and "fro, and moving it from side to side, so as vto reach Jall points of the tank-floor where sludge may be settled on thefloor.

`Another object is to provide, in the flexible conduit-combination a transparent tubular sec- 'tion through `which the operator can quickly see `wheneverlsludge ceases to flow, and when the clean oil or liquid begins to flow, thereby toav'oid 'undue waste to time, energy and liquid; also to` "have the ends of the transparent section removably `seatedin the ends of primary and secondary sections of flexible `rubber or lrubber-like conduit-so it is `thereby guarded against break- `ing, andso it can be easily removed and replaced 'for internal cleaning and for substitution cianl other of its kind if occasion requires. y

r` Another object is to provide the primary ilex- :,ible conduit-section withan `inlet-end guard of ..xhardssubstantiallyinon-flexible"materialthat includes an excentric contact-point that cooperates with the spring-stillening means and with pressure exerted by `an operator towards the inlet-end and toward the tank-bottom on which the excentric point ispressed, so as to effect and direct the bending orcurvingof the part within the tank so the inlet-end can be moved and directed to all partsof the' tank-floor.

Other objects and important features are pointed out or implied in the following'details of description, in `connection `with lthe accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a View of a simple forrnof the invention such as used in `open-top tanks,or tanks that are accessible thru an opening thatpermits of access to all parts of its bottom bya rigid conduit-section.

Fig.` 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view showing the transparent conduit-section having its ends tted in ends of the primary and secondary ilexible conduit-sections, and the primary flexible conduit-sections being engaged with an end of a metal pipe or conduit-section.

Fig. 3 is a view of a modified form oi' the invention, for use Where the tank is underground or in other position where necessary to have access to a pipe that extends up from the opening where filling and/or gauging, testing, etc., take place; so that, bending of the suction-conduit is necessary for reaching all points on the floor of the tank with the inlet-end of the suction-conduit; the curved broken lines "showing the conduit bend in the opposite direction from the full-line position.

Figs. 4, 5,6,8 and 9, show different forms of inlet-end-portions with their respective 'excentriccontact points.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged top-plan view ofther ma nipulating lever, its ends broken ofi?.

Referringto these drawings in detail, in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views, the `invention is now described in detail asfollows:

In Figs. l and 2, the primary `flexible conduitsecton is shown at l0, `and the secondary ilexible section is'shown at Il, as alsoin Fig.3. The

`,transparent `conduit-sectionis shown at l2, in

Figs. 1, 2 and 3, its ends being secured in adjoining ends of the primary and secondary ilexible conduit-sections and thereby protected against contact with doors, pavements etc., when these conduit sections are prone and being dragged or 4pushed along said floors or pavements. The

rigid conduit-section of Figs. 1 and2jisjshown`at I3,^its inlet-endbeing-notched'ior preventing it from being closed by contact with the tankbottom I4.

In Figs. 3, 4, 5, 8 and 9, the primary flexible conduit-section is shown at Ia, and its inletend may be engaged with and braced by a rigid tubular section I 3a, I 3b or I3c (Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6), or may be engaged with and braced by endextensions of the primary thin-wide spring-metal strip I5, as in Figs. 6, 8 and 9 where the contact points Ia and I5b are shown eccentric to the longitudinal center of the exible section Illa. In Figs. 3, 4 and 6, means are shown at I6 for tying the spring-strip I5 to the primary flexible conduit-section lila, as by tie-wires welded to the inner sides of the thin-wide spring-strip, passed around the conduit-section Ida, and tied or twisted (as seen in Fig. 4) but other means may be employed for securing the primary strip I5 and/or the secondary strip Il to the primary conduit-section Illa, for instance,`any appropriate cement or vulcanizing such as indicated at in Figs. 8 and 9. In Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6, the excentric contact points are seen at ISd, I3e and I3f. The wires or strips that include the contact points IScZ and I3f have their end portions welded or otherwise secured on front and rear sides of the metal tubular inlet attachments of the primaryflexible conduit-section Illa. The front sides of the tubular metal parts are those nearest to the respective contact points, because, when downward pressure is applied on the contact points until the conduit IIla and spring-strip 5 become sufiiciently bent, such front side moves in ad- Vance of the opposite or rear side. Moreover, when the lever I8 is moved to the inclined position shown in Fig. 3, it pulls the front strip I5 and pushes the rear strip Il, thereby bending these strips and the attached conduit-section so the front side or long side of the part I3 moves laterally in advance of the short or rear part.

The lever IB is united with a tube-section or sleeve I9 by welding at 2) or other appropriate means; and the outer or upper ends of the strips I5 and II are likewise secured to the tube-section I9.

In operating this device, such as in Fig. l, the conduit-section II is engaged with a suctionpump of any appropriate kind (not shown) then the inlet-end of the conduit-section I 3 is lowered to the tank-bottom I4, and manually moved to all points of the tank-bottom until the operator sees, through the transparent section I2, that pure or sludge-free oil or liquid begins to flow, whereupon the operator ceases pumping, leaving only sludge-free liquid in the tank T.

The operation is less simple where the access to the tank Ta (Fig. 3) is underground and has only a tubular opening through which the sludge can be reached; so the use of the flexible conduit-section is essential; but if it is too exible, and not provided with means to steer or guide its inlet-end, its utility is limited, its operation is hap-hazard, and its efciency is very limited; therefore, the importance of this springstrip I5 being relatively thin and wide and attached as described, should be readily seen and appreciated, especially when combined with the secondary spring-strip I'I and the controlling elements I8 and I9 and with the rigid inlet-connections shown in Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9, with their respective eccentric contact points; for when the primary flexible conduit-section Ia is bent as shown in Fig. 3, its inlet-end can be moved. either forward or rearward by raising or lowering the manipulative lever I8, and can be moved in either lateral direction by turning the lever about the center of the member I9, because its thinness provides ease of bending it forward and rearward, and its width provides rigidity against bending it laterally or transversely; so practically all sludge of the tank-bottom can be reached and sucked out the tank.

Prior to completing and using this invention, it has been customary to pump out all the oil from the tank, including sludge, when necessary or desirable to rell a sludge-infected tank; but this is unsatisfactory, because (l) the supply of oil from such tank is interrupted and such interruptions are oftenvery expensive; (2) by the pumping means previously known and used, not all the sludge can be pumped out, because a lot of it is so viscous that it does not iiow to the suction-opening if it is beyond a short distance from the suction-opening; and (3) heretofore, no means has been in use for directing a suctionopening or nozzle to all points on a tank-bottom under conditions shown in present Fig. 3.

The several modifications shown in these drawings are not all that can be made; for the invention is susceptible of numerous other modifications Within the scope of the inventive ideas, as implied and claimed.

My invention is claimed as follows:

l. In a device for conducting sludge and sediment from oil-tanks, the combination comprising a suction-conduit that includes primary and secondary flexible conduit-sections; and a transparent conduit-section having its ends in and secured to ends of the flexible conduit-sections and in open communication therewith, a rigid conduit-section secured to the primary exible conduit-section and in open communication therewith and being a means movable along and across a tanks bottom and to receive sludge therefrom, said primary flexible conduit section having an inlet-end cooperatively engaged with said rigid conduit section and being a means to extend into a tank and operable to be deflected so as to dispose said rigid conduit section at various points on the bottom of the tank while a long enough portion of said primary flexible conduit-section extends from the tank to be grasped by an operator for moving the inlet-end and the rigid conduit-section to various points on the bottom of the tank, a manipulative lever that includes a sleeve around and movable on said primary iiexible conduit-section, and a thin-wide springy metal strip having one end secured to said primary exible conduit-section at a point near said inlet-end and extending thence along the primary flexible conduit-section and secured to the latter at points between said inlet-end and lever and secured to said lever for manipulative cooperation in causing said primary flexible conduit to be ilexed either forwardly or rearwardly.

2. In a device for conducting sludge and sediment from oil-tanks, the combination comprising a suction-conduit that includes primary and secondary iiexible conduit-sections, anda transparent conduit-section having its ends in and secured to ends of the flexible conduit-sections and in open communication therewith, a rigid conduit-section secured to the primary iiexible conduit-section and in open communication therewith and being a means movable along and across a tanks bottom and to receive sludge therefrom, said primary iiexible conduit-section having an inlet-end and being a means to extend 1nto a tank and operable to be deected so as to dispose its inlet-endet various points on the 5 bottom of the tank while a long-enough portion of said primary iiexible conduit-section extends `from the tank to be grasped by an operator for moving the inlet-end to various points on the bottom of the tank, two springy thin-wide metal gaged with said metal strips and with said primary flexible conduit-section in a proper relation to effect a manually directed curvature in the inlet-end-portion of said primary exible conduit-section while other portions of the primary flexible remain practically uncurved.

3. A flexible conduit section having an inletend in combination with a springy thin-wide metal strip extending along and united with the exterior of said conduit section, said springy thin-wide metal strip having an end-portion extending .beyond and across said inlet-end and united with opposite sides of said inlet-end and Curved in a proper relation to provide a substam' 6 tially non-exible contact-surface that is excentric to the center of said inlet-end.

TALBOT A. SMITH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 944,714 Bimm Dec. 28, 1909 1,060,665 Bell May 6, 1913 1,145,532 Webb July 6, 1915 1,318,881 Kelley Oct. 14, 1919 1,767,267 Wappler June 24, 1930 2,265,647 King Dec. 9, 1941 2,269,483 Replogle Jan. 13, 1942 2,332,940 Senke Oct. 26, 1943 OTHER REFERENCES Chemical Hand-book, .by F. F. Grflin, 2nd edition, pub. 1877, page 295.

Braun-Knecht-Heimann Co., Catalog of Laboratory Supplies, Catalog No. 27, 1927, page 680. 

